


Family

by EmilliaGryphon



Series: 12 Days of Starmora [12]
Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), MCU, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, gotg
Genre: F/M, Holidays, I Love You, Love, Music, Songs, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-18
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2019-02-16 08:06:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13049955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmilliaGryphon/pseuds/EmilliaGryphon
Summary: Twelve day of the "12 Days of Starmora" Challenge on Tumblr! Last prompt" Family.





	Family

**Author's Note:**

> Gamora's song choice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCnf46boC3I

“Groot…are you sure this…wasn’t like, grown from some part of you?” Peter asked hesitating as to whether or not he even wanted to know the answer. The bowl of greens before him looked tasty enough, but Groot’s contribution to their holiday dinner was ready suspiciously quickly. 

“I am Groot,” he reassured, pushing the bowl closer. 

“What did he say?” Peter demanded, looking to Rocket who only chuckled to himself. “Rocket! What did he say?”

“Don’t worry about it Star-Face,” the raccoon chided lopping himself a spoonful of greens and shoving it into his mouth. Peter glanced at Gamora who sat across the table from him. She looked moderately repulsed and amused. 

“I do not care where these strange greens come from,” Drax yanked the bowl to him and proceeded to dump half of it on his plate. “I am hungry.” They watched as he stuffed the entire half a plate of greens into his mouth and chewed. 

“Well?” Prompted Gamora. Drax considered for a moment, 

“It is not bad. I have eaten much worse.” Groot looked approvingly. Peter pushed the greens to the side of his plate and helped himself to the trokan bread Gamora had made. They tasted odd, stale but not burnt like the last time she made them and Peter couldn’t bear to see her already insecure culinary abilities tarnished. 

“This is delicious!” He managed through a mouthful of the ochre smelling bread.

“You don’t have to lie to me,” she said, taking a heap of Drax’s truly delicious yvanx casserole. 

“It is not the worst thing I have eaten,” Drax said, taking his own loaf. 

“You’ve said that about everything here,” Peter accused, leaning over and helping himself to his own Christmas ham he had attempted. Drax spoke with his mouth full of both greens and trokan bread. 

“Not true, Rocket’s food is absolutely repulsive,” he gestured with his fork to the grey goo no one had bothered to take. 

“Hey!” Rocket slammed his fist down on the table, “they didn’t really train me in the culinary arts at that lab you son of a bitch. I’ll shoot your flarking jaw off, then you won’t be able to eat anything!” Gamora watched Peter sigh, eating in silence. 

“Can we just have one holiday dinner where someone isn’t threatening to kill someone else?” She asked, trying to be patient. Drax mumbled something but forced himself to take some of Rocket’s goo and eat it without saying anything. 

“I am Groot!” 

“You got that right!” Rocket approved, stuffing his own face with ham. They ate in relative harmony for the reamineder of the meal, with Rocket even complementing Peter on his Christmas ham.

“It’s my mom’s recipe,” Peter said softly, Gamora watched his eyes in thought. He blinked away the rims of tears. 

“It’s one of the most delicious things I’ve ever tasted,” she exclaimed helping herself to more. He smiled a private ‘thank you’ at her across the table. 

“Well,” Rocket toasted his glass of spiked Asgardian whisky, “cheers to Mama Quill.”

“Agreed!” Drax raised his glass, “while she may have failed in raising her son, seeing as he is a failure her ham is quite an exceptional sucsess!” Peter rolled his eyes but cheered, and his heart lit as the lights strung above the table gleamed against the necklace Gamora wore.

After dinner, three rounds of bickering and only three threats of violence they managed to clear the table and kitchen Eventually the five of them found themselves sitting together on the bridge, watching the stars pass overhead. The ship smelled of pine and hearth while the decorations Peter had insisted on keeping up, enhanced the Milano with holiday spirit. Tiny white lights were strung ove the ceiling as they grabbed blankets and cushions from the lounge and dragged them out on to the bridge. Gamora settled herself next to Peter. 

“Can I play a song?” She asked, ignoring her instinct which told her not to do so. To share this song would mean sharing her heart. But Peter shared his heart through music every day, constantly. And she had already done it once in good fun, but this time it was more serious. He turned to her, 

“Of course.” She stood, striding past Drax who sat beside Groot, gazing up at the stars. She hoped he was thinking of Hovat and Kameria in a way of fondness and love. She was right. Getting the song, she plugged it into the recently purchased CD player and took a deep breath pressing ‘Play.’ As she settled down beside Peter once more, the slow chorus of the violen whispered from the walls of the ship. 

“Rows and flows of angel hair, and ice cream castles in the air and feather canyons everywhere, I've looked at clouds that way.” Peter wound his arm around her shoulder as they passed a star belt, brilliant indigo and silver arching through the ebony sky. Drax swayed subtly with the music as it continued and Gamroa found herself leaning into Peter’s warm side. She took a breath of him, inhaling his scent. “But now they only block the sun, they rain and snow on everyone, so many things I would have done, but clouds got in my way.” So many things I would have done if I had not been under Thano’s boot, Gamora thought. The music slid up as the Milano drifted onward. Peter turned, smelling her hair and she put her head on his shoulder as he gave her a small kiss. Her mind told her to pull away, that the rest of them would see him kissing her, but she let it go as the deep tone of the song continued:

“'I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now, from up and down and still somehow, it's cloud's illusions I recall I really don't know clouds at all.” Gamora spared a glance at Groot and Rocket and grinned: the angry trigger-happy raccoon curled in the tree like creature’s lap, his dark eyes and usually hard face now softened with wonder at the stars. Groot’s long arms securing him there as he too looked up. The lights inside the ship danced across his wooden form. 

“I like this song,” Peter whispered to her, his fingers brushing her. She nodded, words stolen from her as it went on. 

“Moons and Junes and ferries wheels the dizzy dancing way you feel, as every fairy tale comes real. I've looked at love that way, but now it's just another show, you leave 'em laughing when you go. And if you care, don't let them know, don't give yourself away.” Don’t let them know, don’t give yourself away-that had always been her philosophy. But as her gaze traveled from Peter, to Drax and Rocket and Groot she shook her head to herself. Each of them had every reason to close themselves off from the world. All of them had put on a show for the world. Hiding themselves and yet, now, each of them had given themselves away to each other, to this team and Gamora knew she too was included therein. The smell of the forests of Terra, and cinnamon and spice filled the air as they watched the sky. 

“I've looked at love from both sides now, from give and take and still somehow, it's love's illusions I recall. I really don't know love at all, tears and fears and feeling proud to say "I love you" right out loud, dreams and schemes and circus crowds. I've looked at life that way.” She looked back at Peter and wondered in amazement how, in the midst of everything they had found each other. How too broken people, one grieving a life he never got the chance to know and one grieving the person she could have been-how did they fit so imperfectly well? A soft gasp from Drax made her look to the stars once again, watching as glimmering spirals danced and warped before them. The brass horns of the music led the stars along, 

“But now old friends they're acting strange, they shake their heads, they say I've changed. Well something's lost, but something's gained in living every day. I've looked at life from both sides now. From win and lose and still somehow. It's life's illusions I recall. I really don't know life at all.” Gamora had never known life, had never known it until she met the Guardians, her family. 

“I've looked at life from both sides now from up and down, and still somehow, it's life's illusions I recall, I really don't know life at all.” She had only known the illusion of life, the twisted existence she’d led under Thanos. But no longer. The music drifted off, she wiped the tears from her eyes and leaned her head on Peter’s shoulder. “Tears and fears and feeling proud, to say "I love you" right out loud,” the words of the song echoed in her soul. She turned to Peter, and he to her. Gamora spoke with every inch of her shattered, but healing soul. 

“I love you Peter Quill.”


End file.
